Syrian refugees ‘are welcome in Crawley’ say Lib Dems

Plans for the first of a number of Syrian refugees to be given homes in Crawley within the next few weeks have been welcomed by the town’s Liberal Democrats.

Crawley Borough Council pledged to house 10 refugee families following an earlier decision by West Sussex County Council to house 50 throughout the county.

Meanwhile, a number of other refugees are being temporarily accommodated on behalf of the Home Office at the Europa Hotel in Maidenbower.

But in a statement today Crawley’s Liberal Democrats said that Syrian families would be welcome in the town.

Crawley Lib Dem chairman Marko Scepanovic said: “It is right that, in the greatest humanitarian crisis since WW2, Crawley is doing its bit to assist people who have escaped persecution, chemical weapons and genocide.

“Let us not forget that at least 24,000 UK children were sent overseas to the Commonwealth from 1939-1945, not to mention the millions displaced who were welcomed by other communities within the UK.”

And he added: “From Greece to Germany to Sweden, welcoming the refugees has shown that whilst terrorists fight with fear, we fight with love, with compassion.

“Crawley is by no means the wealthiest town in the country; but it has always welcomed thoseseeking a new life with open arms, and long may it continue.”